Short Ride Phuket

2017

Short Ride Phuket

2017

This trip marks a long weekend holiday in Singapore and what better way to spend the long weekend than a ride up to the island in the Andaman with clear beaches and yellow sands, Phuket. Phuket province is located in southern Thailand. It is the biggest Island of Thailand and sits on the Andaman sea. The nearest province to the north is Phang-nga and the nearest provinces to the east are Phang-nga and Krabi. Phuket has a large Chinese influence, so you will see many Chinese shrines and Chinese Restaurants around the city. Being a big island, Phuket is surrounded by many magnificent Beaches such as Rawai, Patong, Karon, Kamala, Kata Yai, Kata Noi, and Mai Khao. Laem Phromthep viewpoint is said to feature the most beautiful sunsets in Thailand.

Ride To Phuket 2017

Day 1

Singaopre - Phuket

1400km

For this trip, I will be travelling with a fellow educator, Feroze who will be riding his BMW R1200GSA. We had decided to start our journey at midnight. We departed from Gelang Patah RnR in Johor (our Rendezvous point) and eparted on a 800km jourbney on the North South Highway of Malaysia to head towards Bukit Kayu Hitam (malaysia) - Sadao Border of Thailand.

Left GP at 12MN and arrived at Thai border at 7am.

Very smooth flow of traffic from Tuas all the way up to Sadao, Thailand border. Surprisingly there were no queue at the immigration. Cleared customs within 10 mins.

First up....get a thai sim card and a must stop at cafe Amazon

Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration

Sadao Immigration Checkp;oint

New Building is being build for Sadao Immigration

We are in Thailand...yeayyy

As we had just entered Thailand early in the morning, we do have ample time to make the remaining 500km in journey from Sadao Border to Phuket Island. Therefore we are able to take our timer heading up with ample time to visit places as well as visit some interesting sites in the southern states of Thailand. Our first stop as usual is to drop by Route 41 Cafe in Phattalung to visit our friends the owner of the cafe as well as to have coffees and cakes. Route 41 cafe is a great stop along the main highway 41 up north from Sadao towards Phang Nga. There are souvenirs to be purchased from this establishment as well.

From Phattalung we follows the Route 41 highway that meanders along the hills of Trang where the Andaman regions starts. We had a few stops along the way for petrol and rest as well as some snacks to fill the stomach along our journey. It is always a good practice not to eat a full meal while you are travelling long distance for the fear of being sleepy during the hot afternoon ride. Also remember to hydrate yourself often during the ride. It is advisable to stop for around 10 minutes for every 150km of distance covered just to take a break from the road and weather. <ost petrol stops features a supermarket eg. 7-11 stores where you can enjoy some air conditioned comfort while you shop for snacks.

Luek Suea Cave

We rode using trunk road towards Phuket. The road took us through plantation and the national forest reserve. We arrived in Phang Nga at 2pm and took a detour to a cave that we chanced upon along the way. Didnt want to miss it, we took a 15km U-turn to visit the Luek Suea cave.

Entering Phang Nga, we discovered a cave that has been made into an entrance to a garden. You will be able to ride your bike through the cave and exit on the other side to a beautiful lake garden that has been created. This cave is approximately around 100km out of Phuket.

entrance to James Bond Island

We entered Phuket island at around 4 pm. To get into Phuket you have to cross the Sarasin bridge which link Phuket to the mainland. We made good time to reach Phuket and the weather was a blessing. We had left Gelang Patah in Johor, Malaysia at midnight and arrived at huket island by 4pm after spending 16 hours on the road. For this IO had tried to reach Phuket from Sadao on one full tank of Petrol. The BMW R1200 GSA boasts a 30 litre fuel tank which on average can hit up to 550km when travelling at speeds of about 120 km/ph to 150 km/ph. Therefore we had decided to give it a go to pump once in Thailand and strecth the full tank of petrol between Sadao to Phuket. It did not disappoint.

After travelling for almost 500km on Thailand road we have exhausted 25 litres of fuel with a spare full count of 99km to go. You are able to hit Sadao to Phuket on one fiull tank of fuel of the 30 litre tank of the R1200 GSA.

Upon entry, we decided to look around for a hotel where we could spend the next few days, somewhere centrally located, near the shopping district as well as the beachside of Patong. We will also be meeting up some of our friends who have flown into Phuket with their families and catch up with them as well spend time together going around Phuket. It will be Feroze's first time meeting them.

After a good rest in the hotel, we ventured out at night along the Patong strip seeking out halal food as well as meeting up with our friends who are in the area. So here we met up with Udin Sudman (a riding buddy of mine) who is in Phuket with his family this time round. We met up for dinner and shop around the night market. Zamre, also a BMW GS rider has flown in to Phuket for leisure and will be joining us as well.

Ride To Phuket 2017

Day 2

Phuket


Good morning Phuket

For Day 2, we will be riding around Phuket visiting some of my favourite places on the island.

Phuket is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands off its coast. It lies off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea.

Phuket Island is connected to Phang Nga Province to the north. The next nearest province is Krabi, to the east across Phang Nga Bay

Both Feroze and myself will also join up with Udin's family along the way to visit some of the places of interest. It is nice to travel with Feroze who is always game for any adventures or visiting places that are out of the way which may pop up any point of time. Never once has he complain during our trip.

Our first itinerary for the day is to do some beach hopping covering some of the famous and beautiful beaches of Phuket, Patong, Karon, kata and Rawai beach. There is also a secret beach that we intend to explore. This beach is unmarked and is off the main stretch of beach. The view is beautiful woith nice sandy shores.

Yanui Beach


Ya Nui Beach lies between Promthep Cape and Windmill Viewpoint, 2 of Phuket's most popular viewpoints. It's a charming little cove offering good snorkelling, kayaking, and fishing. The sand is soft and comfortable, with plenty of shells for kids to collect.

The neighbouring island of Koh Man is around 700 metres out in the sea. When the weather is calm, it's possible to paddle out to check out corals or even to visit Nai Harn. Local fishermen climb the rocky promontory to cast off or simply brave the waves with casting nets during overcast days.

Phrom Thep Cape

This is my favourite place in the whole of Phuket. Never will I miss a chance to visit this magnificent scenery. Known of iots beautifull sunset over the Andaman, it is always filled with tourist and locals alike during sunset each day. Literally translate as Brahmas Cape, Laem Phromthep is perhaps one of Phuket's most important landmarks. There is a saying that you havent been to Phuket unless you visit Laem Phromthep. It is here that visitors soak up the sun and savor the breathtaking panoramic view of the Andaman sea from the islands southern-most tip. The Cape is crowded especially in the evening, as it is a popular observation point at Sunset. Laem Phromthep is located approximately 2 kilometers from Rawai Beach.

Phromthep Cape or Laem Phromthep is the Phuket's southernmost cape and the most beautiful Sunset viewpoint in Thailand especially in late December-March. The gold glimmering light is gradually painting on the water surface is the breathtaking view of many visitors. From the Cape you can see Kaew Island in the front, Nai Ya Beach on the left and Nai Han Beach on the right. Sugar palm trees and grass painted with gold sunlight in the summer are the unique things only seen in Phuket. One of the landmarks in Phromthep Cape is Kanjanaphisek Lighthouse which was built on the occasion of King Bhumibol's 50thanniversary accession

Sunset view at Phrom Thep Cape. Sunset over the Andaman Sea

Windmill Point

From there we headed up to Windmill point. This place used to be a road leading up to a meteorological station on the hill. Access is via a small service road leading the thegates of the station. Back then this spot was not so popular with tourist as it was not on the tlist ourist map. Lately, the beauty of the scenery here has caught on and has now become a place of interest listed on the tourist map.

From the viewing of the capes, we headed to catch the elephants at the elephant camps. And then we head down for lunch in Rawai Beach. As we were finishing our lunch the sky does not look too good. Dark clouds are coming in and we decided to head back to the hotel so that we would not be caught in the storm.

Towards the afternoon, the weather did not look so good, so we headed back to the hotel to wait it out. It was a rainy afternoon here in Phuket. Heavy showers during this period is nuthing new in Phuket. The showers are generally heavy but took a short time to clear. This is the South west monsoon clouds coming into Phuket through the Andaman coast.

We took the time to take a rest at the hotel before planning for our nights out later on.

Once the rain clear in the early night, we headed out for the shopping strip and went shopping for items at the night market as well as the factory outlet. Spent the rest of the night chilling over coffee and ice cream with Zamre on one of the alleys of Patong Beach.

Studying during Our trip

As this was a long weekend trip in the month of March, I had to bring along my study notes to get my revision in. place. The moment I am back in Singapore, it would be exam time for me as I am undergoing a course in NIE. This was just meant to be a short break for me to relax and destress. However I cannot put aside my studies as the exam are coming. LIFE OF AN ADULT LEARNER.

Rooftop swimming pool

Ride To Phuket 2017

Day 3

Phuket

On our 3rd day today, we again will be going out around the island for some activities and sight seeing that we had missed out yesterday due to the storm that brew in the mid afternoon. We had planned for some ATV ride and also a round of shooting at Phuket Shooting Arena.

Visiting the BMW MOTORRAD in Phuket.

I always make it a point to visit some friends of mine during my trip. I had friends in BMW Phuket over the years of riding the BMW bikes. Therefore decided to drop by and visit.

An event waiting to take place

Catching up with Khun Jukjib who works at BMW Motorrad Phuket

From here we shall be linking up with Udin Sudman and family to visit some of the places around the area together. The meetup point will be at the PREMIUM OUTLET PHUKET. This outlet houses many international famous brands and are selling their goods at heavily discounted prices.

snippet of the online post

UPSIDE DOWN HOUSE PHUKET

We had decided to head on to the Upside down house Phuket which is nearby and suitable for families with children. Baan Teelanka Phuket is a family-friendly attraction located around 10 km north of Phuket Town. The complex offers 3 main activities to entertain the whole family. Baan Teelanka is a 3-storey upside house with A-Maze-in-Phuket, a maze-shaped garden in its backyard. The 13-metre-tall Baan Teelanka lets you leave all logic behind as you enter the house from its roof, passing through the attic to reach the 2nd floor. You can visit all the rooms like in a standard house – the only difference is that you do so while walking on the ceiling. See 3 bedrooms (including a children's bedroom), living room, kitchen, and bathroom, with all furnishings and decorations hanging upside down. A flight of stairs takes you to the 3rd floor, where you'll find a garage and utility room. This floor overlooks the maze garden at the back of the house.

Back into town and chilled pver coffee and cakes at the iconic Central Festival.

Ride To Phuket 2017

Day 4

Phuket - Hatyai

400km

Today we are heading out of Phuket, Southbound towards Hatyai for a night. Left Phuket in the late morning. Riding down about 400km from Phuket to Hatyai. First stop in Hatyai before we head to the hotel will be at a sticker shop. Feroze wanted to make a thai number plate sticker for his bike and I had a few people who had asked me for a favour to make the stickers for them.

Bump into Kimmie Seconds

As we had our stop in Route 41 while heading south, we bump into another adventure rider, Kimmie Second (Hakimmi) who is heading up to Koh Samui. He is travelling alone but will be meeting up his friends in Samui later today.

We also visited some of the motorcycle apparels shops in Hatyai

Lunch with Ace Andy

met another fellow adventure rider Andy Mirza over lunch in Hatyai. Introduce him to my favourite makan place in Hatyai. Some of you mighht be familiar or have heard of this small road side restaurant, KAITOD DECHA selling delicious Thai style chicken rice. They also serve other delicious Thai styled dishes as well. Chatted over lunch with Andy before we make our seperate ways. One good thing about adventure riding is that you get to make and meet like minded individuals along the way and sharing of stories always makes you feel close even though its your first meeting.

As usual in Hatyai, we would spend our time feasting on the street food. Lee gardens had setup a permanent Walking Street for vendors to sell food and their wares/souvenirs. This is a much welcome move as it has been legalised for the vendors to set up their stalls within this premises and help become a focal point among the tourist at night.

Route for Day 4

Phuket to Hatyai is about 450km in distance and roughly about 5 hours on the saddle if riding non stop.

Ended off the night with some massage and rest for the next day's ride soyhbound to Singapore.

Ride To Phuket 2017

Day 5

Hatyai - Singapore

880km

Left Hatyai in the early morning so that we could be back in Singapore by late afternoon. It wioll be another 880km of ride back inclusive of 2 border clearance Thailand - Malaysia - Singapore.

The Ride South - Homeward Bound


2751km covered for these 5 days. Just another short 4 nights trip to Phuket. Alhamdullilah things went smoothly throughout the entire trip. Thanks to cikgu Feroze for the company for this trip.

Arrived at Sadao customs at 8.30am

Arrived gelang patah RnR 3 30pm

Arrived at Singaore checkpoint at 4pm

Terrible traffic throughout as its the start of yhe Malaysian school holidays and end of Singapore schools holidays.

Home Sweet Home

Arrived in Singapore by 4.40pm in the after noon. Total distance covered for this trip was 2751km. It was a short and enjoyable break.

Enough time to relax and get ready for the test tomorrow. Yes I will be sitting for my test in NIE tomorrow. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if i do not make it back to SIngapore in time. hahaha

The Next Day...

The test went well it seems. Back to the reality of mugging for exams and studying

TILL OUR NEXT ADVENTURE !!!!

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